The Other Reality
by Darkana Arez
Summary: The reason much isn't known about Paine? She's not of the same world as her comrades... and that world is about to collide with that of the humans in hopes of conquest. But also, why is she not in that world? No matter what, her heart is human.
1. Loss of Control

I tried this idea once before and it landed in the dirt. I'm trying again. XD

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the game. Any OCs I will mention.**

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Paine shut off the water and let out a breath. The air in the small bathroom was warm from the hot shower, and very relaxing. She pulled the curtain back and reached for the towel rack near on her left. She gripped the pole firmly as she felt her whole body sway with her head. She closed her eyes and tried to remain still until the dizzy spell passed. When she opened her eyes her worst fears were realized; everything flashed from the soft whites of the tile and walls to bloodstained, dark metals and drab greys, the mirror suddenly cracked and splintered. She dared to look at her hand on the rack, and shuddered to see her true skin, and immediately turned away with eyes closed. Scared, she stepped awkwardly out of the tub, and stumbled in her trembling and blind state, hitting her head on the corner of the counter on her way down to the floor, and everything went black.

When she regained consciousness she was lying on the bathroom floor still, but her face against the floor was warm, as was her chest and her hands. She curled her fingers into fists, and felt them draw through a very warm substance on the tile floor. She managed to bring her arms close and brace her fists on the floor and lift herself up, and saw she was lying in a puddle of her own blood, and she was stained with it across her upper body where she was warm. She cursed herself for having bled, her kind's blood so dark it wasn't human; it looked poisoned to anyone else.

She had to clean this up before anyone on board found it. The only problem was it was a big mess, and it's hard to hide dark stained towels or the scent from a spill like this.

Then it got worse.

"Paine, what happened to you?"

She dared to lift her eyes to the terrified Yuna, who rushed to her side and examined her hands and face to find where the wound was. "Yuna..." Her own voice sounded foreign in her ears, and knew she was slowly changing, and all because she let her cravings go too long. "I'm... I'm fine-"

She whimpered when she found the small gash on her head from where she'd fallen and tagged the counter, still bleeding slowly. "No you're not. Just hang on; I'll get Rikku."

Paine couldn't say a thing before the former summoner took off for the stairs. She struggled to shift her feet under her and lift herself up but it seemed fruitless; her muscles gave out and left her to splash in the dark puddle. She winced and bit her tongue in her front teeth as she felt those four canines start protruding from her gums most painfully, and when she tasted her own blood from the forced changes it triggered more. She gasped and grunted as she felt her very own ribs snap into a new position and shaped. Her entire abdomen was narrowing to her hips, and when her ribs collided near the end of her spine they bent at the tips to allow the shift. When that pain faded she felt the tingle in her arms and legs as the bones grew and all the muscles stretched to allow the growth.

She couldn't stop her body's transformation, but when she felt something trying to rip from her back she resisted with all her might to keep the new appendages at bay.

She felt her longer fingers, clawed now, curl up, scratching the tile and actually breaking through the material to leave tiny streaks in place. She let out a breath as the most physically demanding changes finished, and she lifted her head as she heard the elevator doors slide open from down stairs and across the room. Her senses were becoming sensitive; she could hear two pairs of footsteps, almost hasty, and Yuna talking quickly to someone, more than likely Rikku. She knew she couldn't be seen like this, but what to do?

They were at the stairs.

She launched herself at the wall of glass with everything she had, and the last thing she heard as the sharp, whipping air rushing past the side of the Celsius and seemed to want to tear her apart with the force was the shattering glass hitting the metal of the ship and the screaming of her comrades as she fell into darkness on her way down to Spira.

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note: i know it's kinda abrupt but i got it down for later. just bear with me, ok? feedback please! :)

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Al Bhed Translations


	2. I'm Not a Vampire

I know this runs kinda fast but deal with it! Lol, not really. I'm trying to make this real but I get the feeling it's not. Still, I'm trying. :)

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"Brother! Myht dra creb! Byng ed huf!" Rikku bolted from the elevator and flew over the railing as she jumped for her seat beside the main controls.

The men looked at her suddenly with a bewildered expression. "Rao! Fru ec dra maytan rana? Sa! E cyo frah fa myht!"

"Fa tuh'd ryja desa vun drec!" Rikku snapped hastily, jabbing away at the controls at her fingertips.

Yuna appeared from the stairs. "Brother, please! We have to land now!"

"Uh-ok! We land now!"

Buddy sighed from his station and coordinated a decent landing zone in the Thunder Plains, right next to the forest of Macalania. "What's going on that's got you two so frenzied?"

"Paine jumped ship!" Rikku jumped from her seat, headed for the elevator again. "She busted the glass windows in our room and fell into the woods!"

"Why would she do that?" Shinra whimpered from his seat, watching them go.

Neither stopped to answer, determined to find her and get her to answer the question. It wasn't like their friend to do something like that; something was seriously wrong.

The two reached the engine room and were jumping from the hatch before it landed, hitting the dirt in a full sprint for the road that became bark and foliage. The rainwater soon disappeared, caught by the high trees and leaves above, but what trickled down to the mid-trunks and the roots sparkles and shined, helping contribute to the awe of the crystalline Macalania woods. They entered on the main path and moved for the familiar fork in the road, and stopped there.

Yuna's eyes were darting everywhere in a state of panic. "Where could she have landed? She could be anywhere here!"

"Yunie, let's split up and look for her; it'll be the quickest way to find her. If she's hurt, she needs us now."

"Ok, good idea," she breathed, trying to keep from going into a panic attack. "I'll check the upper road."

"I got the ground path," Rikku called as she darted off through the brambles, diving head first into the trees.

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She finally felt breath to her lungs and the darkness was slowly fading. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at several blades of grass, weighted down with shimmering drops of dew, and soon felt the cold sensation as she lay in the grass, the water on her bare skin coupled with the cool air making her skin tingle. She managed to force herself up onto her hands and feet, despite the pain in the muscles from lack of use, trembling from the strain, and finally collapsed on her knees and elbows in the grass.

_I should've never let myself be locked away for so long... damn, I'm out of shape._

She forced everything she had into a burst and managed to shove herself up onto unsteady feet, swaying slightly, but soon she regained her balance and stood up spreading her feet to gain more bracing.

_I almost forgot how tall I can stand,_ she thought with an outside chuckle. _Damn, it's been too long.  
_

Something ahead of her growled real low, averting her eyes ahead.

A Rhyos was slowly advancing on her through the trees, growling and snarling and hissing. The snake tail whipped back and force viciously, snapping from side to side and sparking electricity from it's mouth with each threat. The falcon beak clicked as its eyes whirled around, searching for the enemy that it sensed but could not see due to the height the main body was tilted back. Out of irritation it spat jets of water into the overhead trees, snapping branches with the force. But the main threat was the bull; its eyes were focused intently on her, growling steady and menacingly, it's heavy hooves making the earth tremble with each heavy step. It flexed it's mismatched arms, one humanoid and the other beastly with claws.

Suddenly the hunger pains slammed her in her gut. She knew her body needed nourishment soon, and this was the perfect opportunity.

The fiend felt her urge to kill and raced forward to get the killing in first.

She let it come, crouching down low, and when it was right over her she lunged forward and up at the thick neck and pushed her fangs through the tough hide, reaching through to the artery. The beast screeched in searing pain and reared back, thrashing around to throw her away, but her fingers, now clawed, dug into the skin to maintain grip, as well did her feet in its chest. She pulled back her head and noticed the blood barely trickling out and replaced her teeth in the neck, forcing farther, straining her jaw from applying so much pressure, and finally tasted a spurt of the nectar she needed.

And the Rhyos was getting desperate, slamming itself onto the ground and lying completely on top of her. The sudden weight made her choke and cough on the blood, spraying it out as she tried to breathe. It managed to get back up, and she latched in her claws again, suddenly too weak to try again. The crushing blow had knocked out her wind and left her vulnerable, but she held on all the same. Then it began stumbling backwards, dragging her barely conscious form across the ground in hopes of scraping her off, and it worked as she claws fell loose and she hit the grass, lying so still as she slowly tried to regain her breath.

It stood tall, trembling, as it charged a Chaos Flame attack in it's human fist. The snake whipped around, curling around her ankle, and sunk its fangs into her leg, making her jerk from the pain.

It was here she was certain she'd die, and laid her head down in the grass, ready to accept it, her heart quickly reaching out to all she knew and loved and cared for, praying for them.

She grass around her turned red from the glow of the ball of energy, her shadow apparent, and closed her eyes.

Paine flinched with a cry at a deafening explosion just above her, but the monster's scream was louder. It stumbled backwards, and the tail latched in her leg pulled her back. There was another explosion, and another, sending the monster reeling and finally to fall to the ground, writhing in pain. The snake finally released her and she managed to pull herself away from the corpse that was dying. She turned to gaze at it, seeing the blood flowing slowly from the wound she had torn open.

She heard quick footsteps from behind and dared to look back.

"Paine!"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Rikku..."

"Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you? Wait- you fell from the ship! You should be injured at least!"

"Riks, I..." She managed to get up on her knees with some help from Rikku. "I..."

"Take it easy, Paine," she cooed, coaxing her to lie down on her back. "I'm sorry I yelled; I'm not upset."

She took a deep breath. "I know... Riks, do you not...?"

"Not what?"

"Not notice... me?"

She glanced down her body and back up to her face. "Aside from the fact you've grown?"

Paine cracked a small smile. "You're not... afraid... of me?"

"You mean, this isn't normal or natural or something? Not a growth spurt?"

She managed a weak nod. "No..."

"Well, how did this happen? What's going on?"

Paine looked at her bright eyes for a moment before turning away. "I... can't say..."

"Why not?"

"You would... fear me..."

Rikku bit her lip and touched her cheek, turning her face so they locked eyes. "Paine... I've fought beside you. I've been there for you and you've been there for me, through thick and thin. You're my friend... I wouldn't abandon you. When your past haunted you in the Den of Woe, I didn't leave. I was there.

"Remember, I won't ever leave you. We're way too close to break apart."

Her words gave a warm comfort to the warrior, and she smiled slightly, flashing her fangs at Rikku, who inched back just a nudge in shock, and this made Paine close her lips to a frown.

"What...?"

"Rikku, I..."

"So you're not human?" she asked quietly, touching her arm.

Paine nodded slightly, afraid this would actually break their friendship.

"How'd you hide this? I mean..." She did a double-take over Paine's new body, from her long thin legs to similar arms to her clawed hands to her over-defined torso. "If this is you... you had to shrink! How does someone do that?" she chuckled.

This startled Paine, but she chuckled as well, until a pain lanced through her stomach and chest again, causing her to curl up tight with a whimper, and this spark fear in her comrade.

"Paine, what's wrong? You okay?"

She shook her head but remained curled tight, trembling, hoping the pain would subside for a moment. When it finally did she eased up and stopped shaking, and Rikku was rubbing her back for some means of comfort.

The thief touched her shoulder gently, afraid to hurt her. "What happened?"

"I... don't want to tell you everything..."

"You're afraid it'll be too much?"

Paine nodded. "You're becoming wiser, Rikku... ya' know?"

"I learned a lot 'bout patience and understanding from you," she replied, smiling brightly.

"I've let my needs go... for too long... my body is demanding. I'm famished..."

"Food?"

She shook her head and managed to raise a hand in the direction of the fiend that lay dead across the grass, pointing at its main head. "Look..."

"I noticed the blood. What'd you do-bite it? You a vamp-"

"Don't. Vampires don't exist..." She took a deep breath and looked over at the corpse, and starting crawling towards it.

Rikku wanted to help and managed to pull her arm across her shoulders and help lift her up. Paine had to bend her knees and remain low to keep at Rikku's height, but the support was a huge help. The thief helped her near and placed her sitting beside the Rhyos, where she rested against it's shoulder, next to the wound she had created.

"Rikku..."

"Yeah?"

"Why... have you called... for help?"

Rikku was taken aback by the question and pouted as she rocked on her heels in thought. "Ya' know, I don't know." She giggled. "It never crossed my mind, for some reason." Then her tone took a serious air. "But I don't think they need to see you like this, do you? They probably wouldn't be as calm as I am."

"Once I'm okay... I'll change back. You can call..."

"Paine?" She noticed her head fell to rest on the fiend's shoulder and leaned close, finding her breathing was short and rapid. "Paine, hey...! Hey, you-you gotta eat!"

She took a hard breath. "Call ship..."

Rikku whimpered at the sight of her friend seeming to fade, and noticed the place where she had been bitten was starting to turn dark and purple, thin veins of indigo crawling through her skin from the place where the fangs had found home outward, very slowly working through her body. She rummaged through her belongings but found no antidotes on her. But when she saw Paine's mouth touch the hide of the fiend she had to look away; she was not quite sure if she could handle the sight. The fiends were already nasty alone, but to see something of that nature-

_The ship. I need to call 'em in._ She tapped the radio on her scarf and waited a response.

"Rikku, come in!" It was Buddy.

"Buddy, I found her. She's alive but I think she may have some internal damage; she hit down pretty hard."

"Can she move? Any wounds? Bleeding?"

"I think she got tagged by a poisonous fiend; her leg's a mess. I don't have anything-"

"We can't get the ship in the woods but I'll send Yuna to Bevelle-she could get some help. They wouldn't turn her away."

Rikku bit back a protest for she knew he was right. "Okay. Over and out."

Paine let out a breath of relief from behind and she dared to look back, seeing the warrior had returned to her normal shape and was lying in the grass, breathing steady again but the way her chest tightened with a few breaths concerned her. She figured it was from the poison.

"So... Yuna's going to Bevelle for Baralai's help."

Rikku nodded. "Yep."

Paine curled up again, shivering this time. "Damn, it's cold..."

Rikku helped pull her to the base of a nearby tree and gathered her close. Her skimpy attire wasn't much to offer for warmth but she hoped her body heat would help. Paine gladly snuggled close, still shaking a bit.

"Thank you..."

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note: feedback please! :)

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Al Bhed Translations

Rikku: Land the ship! Park it now!

Brother: Hey! Who is the leader here? Me! I say when we land!

Rikku: We don't have time for this!


End file.
